Since their introduction, the design of rolled condoms have remained the same. Rolled condoms have been proven by the consuming public and manufacturers to be superior to unrolled condoms due to the ease in which they are applied to an erect penis and the ability to compactly package them.
However, there are several problems that have persistently arisen with this traditional design. These problems have caused many consumers in the contraceptive market to find alternative contraceptive products. The first problem is the discomfort caused from the rolled portion of the condom. The rolled portion causes two types of pain. The first pain is caused by the pressure exerted against the skin at the base of the penis. The second pain is caused by the entanglement of the user's pubic hair with the rolled portion either during copulation due to the condom's slippage or when the user attempts to remove the condom.
The second problem with the traditional design is slippage of the condom during sexual activity. During copulation, sexual fluids are released which reduce friction between the condom and the penis and therefore increase slippage.
The third problem with the traditional design is the need for the user to grab the condom to remove it after copulation. This requires the user to touch the sexual fluids released during copulation. This less than sanitary means for removing the condom after use is unpleasant for the user but more importantly increases the chances for contracting sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydial infections, genital herpes simplex virus (HVS) infections, genital human papillomavirus (HPV) infections, hepatitis A infection, hepatitis B infection, cytomegalovirus infections, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).
The traditional rolled condom also does not provide protection to the pubic area surrounding the penis from sexually transmitted diseases. Finally, the traditional design does not leave the user with an indiscrete but effective means for disposing of the condom.
Despite the problems discussed above, the traditional rolled condom designs still provide an excellent means for preventing conception and sexually transmitted diseases. Also, the rolled condom product, in its present form, is still a consumer success. Instead of redesigning the basic rolled condom product, a new product complementary to the present rolled condom designs is needed to alleviate its problems set out above.